‘Gentrification’ is not a new phenomenon

“Gentrification,” a transformative process of neighborhood redevelopment associated with influx of middle-class residents and rising property values, is reshaping cities around the country.

Much debate around the phenomenon is predicated on the belief that gentrification is something new. But, in fact, argues James Frank Dy Zarsadiaz in The Atlantic Cities, gentrification has been unfolding for at least 50 years thanks to American consumerism.